Microsoft Office 16 Beta Leaks Out

Redmond has done a top job at preventing software leaks these past few months, but even the best laid plans sometimes unravel. Microsoft Office 16 beta, it appears, has leaked.

The suite itself is set for a launch sometimes in the second half of 2015, but the software titan has so far kept most of the details under wraps. It was only recently that we got a look at how Office 16 looks, and what features the company is planning for it.

Anyway, the beta version is now out and available for download in the dark nooks and corners of the Internet — unofficial sites, so to say.

The version number of this Office 16 build is 16.0.3030.1018, and it can only be used for a few days before it expires. Good enough for a test drive.

Obviously, this is not a version that you should install for your daily use. It is an unfinished piece of software, and although it comes with a lot of changes, not all of them work as intended right now. Microsoft intends this beta for professional and experienced users only.

Those that can provide the company with feedback to help improve the final product.

In terms of changes, the biggest new feature is the inclusion of a dark theme, which while still needs more polish, looks pretty slick.

And just as was the case with the previous test versions of Office, Microsoft has included the smiley button in the menu bar allowing users to provide quick feedback on specific features they like or dislike.

What we don’t know yet is whether this is an old build or a recently compiled one.